Tag Archives: italian

Gentle Readers, sometimes, the cheapest way to travel is through one’s stomach. Food is a wonderful shorthand to culture, and we here at Team Practical Cook are fans of food of all types. To challenge ourselves, we’ve started collecting stamps on our culinary passport by “visiting” a new country every few weeks.

Black beans and rice from Gregoria’s Kitchen in Durham.

This started accidentally, with the inimitably cranky Waldorf peppering TPCs Jr with trivia questions about the country whose food we were eating. The Jrs loved it.

Roti from Banana Leaf in San Jose, CA

So far we’ve been to Cuba, Singapore, Mexico, Italy, and Germany. We’re going to France next, as The Eldest wishes to practice her language skills. I will not be practicing my snail skills, for the record.

Vegetarian Enchiladas at a local Mexican Restaurant (fresh spinach and potatoes, nice!)

Questions can include geography, politics, math (what time is it in Germany right now?), along with language and culture. This was obviously constructed as a fun way to bring the world into view for kids, but the adults are enjoying it too. It’s easy to fall into the habit of eating the same rotation of foods. We are essentially gamifying dinner.

Spatzle in all their fried glory.

Though one could certainly cook international foods at home (we made spatzle right after our “trip” to Germany), I strongly encourage you to seek out places to dine. First, the more obscure the cuisine, the more likely it’s a mom and pop operation, which is always nice to support.

The Jrs take on the Big City!

Second, the culture is often present in the restaurant itself (unless you try to pass off the Olive Garden as a trip to Italy, don’t get me started). Food is served at different temperatures, in different ways. Service is different; manners are different.

Bubbling Hot Tofu Soup from Vit Goal

So I challenge you, Gentle Readers, to try a new cuisine, and use it as a learning experience. Life is simply too short for endless chicken fingers. Write to me and let me know how it is. Comments welcome. There’s a box for them. Or email or Tweet. Look forward to hearing your story!

Koh Samui is a refuge off the beaten bath. Well worth the trek for good Thai!